EARLY, ANDERSON ( 1816-94 ). An Ameriean soldier. prominent on the Confederate side in the Civil War. Ile was born in Franklin County, Va.. graduated at \Nest Point in 1837, served in the Seminole or Florida War of 1837.38, and resigned from the army to take up the prac tice of the law at Rocky Mount, Va., in July. 1838. in 1541-42 he was a member of the Vir ginia House of Delegates. and from 1842 to 1847. and again from 184S to 1852, he held the position of commonwealth attorney. During the Alexican War lie was major of a regiment of Virginia volunteers from January. 1847. to August. 1848. (In the approach of the Civil War lie was strong ly in favor of the maintenance of the I '111011. in the Virginia Convention of 1861 lie strenu ously opposed the adoption of the ordinance of secession: but the ordinance having passed. he threw in his lot with his State and entered the Confederate Army as a colonel. Ile commanded a brigade at the first battle of Bull Run, render ing effective service to his side at a critical part of the battle; was promoted soon afterwards to be brigadier-general: took a prominent part in the battle of Williamsburg, May 5. 1862, where lie was seriously wounded. and distill gnished himself in the second battle of Bull Run and in the battle of Antietam. At Frederieks burg on December 13, 1802, he commanded a division, and during the battle of Chancellors ville he commanded the right wing of gene•al Lee's army, stationed at Fredericksburg, which was opposed to the Federal Cene•al Sedgwi•k. lie commanded a division of Lee's army at I ;et tys burg. Detached from that army in June. 1864. to operate against the Federal forces in the Shenandoah Valley. he repelled an attaek of limiter at Lyn•hburg on the 18th. and forced that otliee• to the Upper Potomac. The valley thus being left open. lie advanced to Winehester, drove the Federal general Sigel to Maryland _Heights, crossed the Potomac on July 6th, levied $20.000 on Hagerstown. and $200.000 on Frederick City, and on the 9th defeated lien. Lew- Vallaee at Monocaey Junction. Hit the Ilth lie threatened the city of Washington, which was in a state of consternation. and which by a prompt attack he would probably have taken: hut a strong Federal reinforcement hay ing arrived. he withdrew without serious molesta
tion, and retired up the Shenandoah Valley. Toward the latter part of the month lie again drove across the Potomac the Federal forces op posed to him, and in addition sent a cavalry detachment into Pennsylvania under 'McCausland. who occupied Chambersburg on July 20th. and in default of a ransom of $100,000 in gold. burned the town in a•cordanee with Early's orders. From August to November he contended against Sheridan. then in command of the Federal Army of the for the possession of the Shen andoah Valley. Ile was filially defeated by supe rior numbers at npeeman Creek, near Winehoster (September 191 and Fisher's !fill (September 22). (In nelober 19 lie surprised the Federals at Cedar Creek. hut the timely arrival of Sheri dan turned the fortunes of the day. Early's forces being routed. In March. 1865. Early was defeated by Custer at Wayneshorough, and was removed front command by Lec after he hail reached by successive promotions the rank of lientenant•gen cral. By many critics he placed below tally Lee and Jackson in the list of Confederate generals. After the war he lived short time in Canada, but in 1867 to Virginia.prae ticed law there for a time, then was associated with General Beauregard in the management I if the Louisiana Lottery at New ()deans, and passed his last years in Virginia. Ile steadfastly refused until his death to take the oath of al legiance to the United States. Besides several addresses on military subjects. he published .1 Memoir of the Last Year of thi• War for Inde pendence, in the Confedirate Statcs of America (1867). For an account of General Early's operations in the Shenandoah Valley, consult: Johnson and Buel (ed.). Battles and Lraders of th• riril War, vol. iv. I I vols.. New York. 1887) : Pond. The isthrtuendoak talky in ISIPI New York, 188:1), in the "Campaigns of the Civil War Series"; and articles by Long and Daniel in vol. xviii. and vol. xxii., respectively, of the Nouthern Historical Norirty Papers (Rich mond; 1890 and 1894).